Top Chef Canada exit interview, episode 6: edited out

This season, we’ll be chatting with each week’s eliminated chef after they get the boot (or, rather, after their boot-getting episode airs—this stuff was recorded months ago). This week’s second eliminated chef (yes, there were two this week): Elizabeth Rivasplata, who works at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

(Image: Top Chef Canada)

Before we talk about the episode, can you explain what you do at the AGO?

I’m the sous-chef at Frank. I used to work as a production chef, taking care of the café, the member’s lounge, the espresso bar, but I switched and I’m now at Frank.

Back in episode 5, you had a blowup with Gabriell Cruz. Did you think the way they cut it was unfair?

Yeah. There’s a lot of out-of-context sentences put together, and they look completely different from how they really were. I’m not going to say that I didn’t say what I said. But it’s taken completely out of context.

Is it difficult to see yourself on TV?

I was really surprised, to be honest. They have the scene where I say ‘Don’t touch my stuff’ and then ‘I’m going to embarrass you!’ Those are two completely different scenes! They didn’t show all the parts in between where Gabriell is yelling at me and I’m like, ‘Hey, you’re embarrassing me in front of all these people, don’t do that again!’ But you know what? It’s TV. I signed up for that. At the end of the day, it’s just TV. I’m taking it like that.

The reason the judges eliminated you was because of a perceived lack of leadership. They showed you scrutinizing the tickets, and you looked like you were losing count. Did that happen?

I got a little bit confused. A lot happened that day—I was doing more than one dish. But you know what? I don’t want to offend anybody. I’m not going to say anything. I don’t want to make things worse! It is what it is, and I don’t know how it’s going to look tonight. [Rivasplata had yet to watch the episode when we spoke].

On the way out, you told the confessional cam, “Honestly, I’ve never worked with so many assholes in my life.” Do you still feel that way?

Oh my God, did they put that in? They catch you right after the judges tell you you’re gone, and you do the interview. I was really pissed off.

Is there anything you wish you could have shown the judges that you didn’t get to show them?

I wanted to be there right to the end, and I did my best to try to stay in the competition. But it was the judges’ decision, and there is nothing I can do about it. I would have liked them to show more of the cooking that we were doing. On the last episode, Johnny made puff pastry from scratch, I made puff pastry from scratch, Carl made the buns for the burger from scratch. And they didn’t show that. I think people should have the opportunity to see what we were doing, the crazy things that we were coming up with. Making puff pastry in an hour and a half is crazy!

Any last words?

It was one of the most exciting experiences of my culinary career. I don’t regret applying to Top Chef Canada. It was really cool meeting these other super-passionate chefs that love food this much. And I was surprised by the editing.